For the First Time Again
by Ties
Summary: She had always loved her grandfather's Collection. But she hadn't known about the secrets that hid below the basement...
1. Chapter 1

Title: For the First Time. Again.

Author: Ties (Amacina, Lyr i'Maire)

Disclaimer (presented by…The Doctor)

_Enter the Doctor in bunny ears with a script. Doctor, peers at script, scowls disbelievingly at stage left, and then proceeds_: Hello fellow associates. I convey a declaration that the authors, Amacina along with Lyr i'Maire kindly do not possess Doctor Who and revere that he is in fact owned by the BBC. Moreover, no individual owns me, I'm the Doctor! I do what I want, be who want, park where I want. It's all first-rate fun. (_turns to look at stage left again, shakes his head, and walks off, muttering about "bloody bunny ears"_)

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**Chapter One: _Deep in the Catacombs_**

If there was one thing I loved more than my family, my life, anything, it had to be my grandfather's "Collection". His whole life was dedicated to finding strange creatures and putting them on display. Days, weeks, and- on occasion- years he would spend away from us, searching for another creature, another item, another being to annex into his little world. But his work was hidden from view, stuffed together in a basement gone mad and only ever seen in its entirety by him. Not even the family members closest to him were allowed see into the furthest reaches of the Collection.

That was, at least, until today.

My grandfather had made a habit of showing me around the general Collection every Saturday, when I was off of school. He would clasp my tiny hand in his gnarled paw and lead me carefully through the winding rows of boxes and display cases, telling me by heart all he knew about each and every one; sometimes he even told me how they had been obtained. I couldn't be bothered to even try to read the small plaques that adorned each piece because he would always know more than the little info contained in each one. All I had to do was listen and enjoy the show, and before long I had them all committed to memory.

Now, my grandfather, when not out hunting, was a busy man; he made his fortune through various business ventures throughout the years. It was his talented business management and keen eye for profit that kept him out of the red and the Collection ever expanding. Without that money, my trips with him would not have existed, and I'd have grown to love something other than the individual history of each object or creature I saw.

Things had changed, though, in the last few years. Grandfather had finally passed down his businesses to my father, who had inherited all of Grandfather's business savvy, and my older brother was already being groomed to take over for my father whenever the company was ready to be passed down again. But if there was one thing my father did not appreciate of the legacy he received, and it was the Collection. To my father it was sick and strange, despite Grandfather's assurances the objects' worth far outweighed his personal interest in them. I couldn't begin to fathom my father's repulsion to the treasures hidden in the mad basement, but I was young then. Too young to even begin to comprehend what the collection meant.

However, youth didn't hinder me when it came to understanding that grandfather hid part of his collection from us. There was a door that he'd always avoid whenever we toured about the halls; it was simply locked with a keypad and every time we went past it my curiosity grew. I wanted to know was held behind that door, be it the greatest secret of the collection or a simple broom closet. And my childish curiosity was a strong thing.

I began to watch Grandfather carefully as he input passwords. The string of numbers was long and complex, but I learned how to decipher them; Father always said I had a way with numbers. Watching Grandfather's fingers splay across various keyboards and locks, I saw the patterns and then, the password. He changed it frequently, but he always changed the same two numbers following the same pattern; that was the key to how I figured it out.

Grandfather would always show me around on Saturdays because he loved working on Sundays when no one else was working and could interrupt him. Although my father effectively ran every aspect of the business, Grandfather helped him with the workload, helping to ease the transition from one generation to another. This was the diversion I needed to sneak into the restricted section.

With Sundays off, I had the day I needed set. There would be no second time; this was a one shot deal. I had to prepare and make sure I was ready before attempting my break-in. So I was careful, keeping all plots in my head and a smile on my face. Besides, I was very good at keeping secrets.

Time didn't matter much to me when I was young, but it must have been months before I was certain I could pull it off. When that moment came, I ventured forth boldly into the Collection as was my habit, making it seem like I was just spending another day lost in the items. Once enough time had passed, I slipped carefully to the well memorized path leading me straight to the door. My footsteps were silent and my fear mounted as my heart stopped at every little noise I heard. Eyes wide, I swept the room for any signs of an approach. When no one came, I hurried on, coming up to the door that I so longed to see the other side of.

My fingers trembled as I entered the numbers into the keypad on the lock. The couple of seconds needed for the door to accept the code dragged on, driving me to a higher level anxiety than I had already attained. When I was granted access, I quickly slipped through the door, closing it carefully behind me. Taking in a deep breath, I tried to calm myself as I walked on down the well lit hallway. It went on for a span before branching off into two directions. I paused, weighing my options. _Fifty-fifty either way, I suppose._ I went to the left, praying I wouldn't bump into someone. I was lucky.

Soon the walls became wide panes of glass which held back the strangest creatures I'd ever seen. Of course, grandfather's collection had always had its… oddities. But this was different. These things were alive.

One of the first cells had a metal man that though seeming defunct at first glance activated the moment I walked in front of the glass. A light in its mouth blinked, glowing blue every few seconds before it turned and made its way before the glass. I backed up, my eyes widening in fear as its hand touched the glass. Electricity shot out of its hand, making me nearly scream, but the energy simply bounced off the glass, contained. I fell to the floor, dazed as the creature continued its assault, but to no avail. There was a scratch on the glass behind me and I turned slowly, looking into the jaws of a green monster, caterpillar like in appearance. It snapped, shoving itself into the glass, its several eyes staring at me in wild hunger. I backed away from it, only to remember the metal man across the hall. Full-fledged terror coursed though me; I picked myself up and ran further down the hall, wanting desperately to get caught now.

Monsters moved in their glass cages on either side, coming alive at the sight, maybe even smell of me. I finally screamed, glancing behind me to see the creatures attack the glass that held them. Then suddenly there was no more glass, and the walls were solid once more. I slowed down, realizing I had come to the end of the hall and the monsters were behind me. I wanted to leave now, but the only exit I knew of was on the other side, back where I'd come from and I wasn't turning around. Not until I had to.

Walking on, I chose my steps carefully, as to not disturb anything that could be lurking up ahead. When I spotted more glass, I dawdled; terror of the unknown flooded me again. I peered very carefully into the glass, waiting to be greeted by some snarling animal with more teeth than I could count.

Instead, there was a man.

He was sitting on a cot, knees pressed up against his chest as he leaned against a wall. He wasn't looking towards the glass; instead his eyes were trained on the floor as if he was thinking of something. I thought he might be the keeper of the creatures, or somebody who could help me. I banged my tiny fists on the glass, trying to get his attention.

Green eyes locked into mine as he heard, and it looked for all the world as if he was seeing anything for the first time. His head turned to the side, taking me in for a moment before jumping off the cot and sauntering over to the glass. Crouching down to my level, he looked me straight in the eye.

"Can you help me?" I asked. He gave me a confused stare for a moment. Then he spoke, but I realized quickly what was wrong.

I couldn't hear a word he was saying through the glass.

"I don't understand you," I said. He stopped and pointed at his mouth, talking very slowly this time. I shook my head.

"What does that mean?" I asked, dragging out each word. He put his head against the glass, his forehead pressed up against it, and, frowning, he watched me through his eyelashes. I thought to myself quietly, trying to come up with some way of talking to him. I wasn't even sure if he understood me. So I asked.

He nodded to my question, his face never leaving the glass. I smiled a little, knowing I had made some headway.

"Can you come out here and help me?" I said, to which he shook his head no. I blinked, confused. Then my eyes spotted something to the left, on the wall next to the glass. Walking slowly over to it, not even bothering to see the man's reaction, I read the small plague.

The Doctor

Time Lord

Date of Birth: ? Date of Death N/A

No further information at this time.

I backed up, realizing finally, why he was behind the glass. It wasn't to protect him, but to protect people from him.

"You're one of them!" I screamed as I continued backwards. The Doctor's face became panicked and he pushed off from the glass, holding his hands up in surrender. That only scared me further. For all I knew, he could shoot energy beams from his hands.

"You're a monster!" I yelled as my back bumped against the other wall. This time I hit concrete instead of glass. The Doctor stopped, his hands falling to his sides as his expression fell. He looked tormented as his gaze slipped to the floor. Sinking down slowly, he sat on the ground, his head leaning up against the glass again. I stood still for a few minutes before I came forward to stand in front of where he sat behind the glass. It was almost as if he sensed my presence. His head moved up slowly, his eyes looking into mine.

When he did that, I felt like I was staring into time itself. His eyes . . . were so old. My grandfather had eyes like his, eyes that bore the look that came with seeing many great and terrible things. The Doctor's were different though, aged far beyond what my grandfather's would ever be. I pressed my fingers to the glass as I stared, bewildered, but more understanding. I just felt deep down that I could trust this man and he would never lead me astray. And for a moment, he made me think of my grandfather, the one man in the whole entire universe I loved and trusted the most.

"How do I get out?" I asked softly, pleadingly. He thought for a moment before pointing a finger to the left. It was back down the hall of monsters I'd seen. I grimaced, but gathered up all the courage I could muster. Turning the left, I set myself, ready to march back through the fire. However, before I went, I looked back at the Doctor, the curious creature, Time Lord, who looked so human.

"Thank you, Doctor," I said. He perked up, smiling slightly at my words. He said something, but I couldn't understand. I chuckled a little bit in response.

"And I don't think you're a monster. I don't think you belong here," I said to which his smile only broadened. He laughed, his hand banging against the glass as he spoke more words I couldn't hear.

"Good Luck!" I yelled before taking off down the hallway. The creatures came alive around me again, but I didn't scream. I didn't even flinch. I just knew that if the Doctor had yet to escape, no creature would ever get through the glass.

And, even knowing I'd see the monsters again, I looked back, wishing the Doctor was right behind me.

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	2. Chapter 2

_Enter the TARDIS sporting 'I 3 Bad Wolf' graffiti_: Beep, Beep, Beeping Beep. Beep Beep. BLEEP BLEEP!

Transation: Amacina and Lyr i'Maire claim not to own Doctor Who. Thank you. Clean me.

Chapter 2: Again

The fact that sun was so blindly hot and the sky so perfectly cloudy was mildly inappropriate for the event I was attending. Event? Now I was convincing myself it wasn't as bad as it was, trying to stem the tears with petty tricks of the mind.

My father's funeral was more stiff spines and formalities than loving embraces and sad smiles. Most of the men here were important business partners and their families; out the corner of my eye I spotted a group of small children playing amongst the gravestones, oblivious to what was really going on. I envied them.

The priest murmured soft nothings in the warm air while my mother broke down beside me. I let a few tears flow after blinking them back for the last several minutes. My brother and grandfather were stock still, their eyes only for the closed coffin before them. In my family, crying was not allowed in public, not even for the death of loved one. I was fortunate, able to escape with the few I shed because I was a woman, and everyone expected women to be too emotional for their own good. My mother was even luckier; because she'd married into the family, she wasn't expected to fully follow the rules of its blood members.

Sweat beaded at the center of my back as I tried to balance myself in the heels I'd chosen. They were fairly practical, but didn't work so well in soft ground and kept sinking, much to my disgust. I discreetly pulled my heel out of the ground again and moved to a new patch of earth only to have them sink down once more. This minor disturbance kept my mind busy, held back the tears; when I was alone I'd have my chance to cry.

"My solemn condolences to the family at this time of hardship. May you be blessed in the coming months," the priest said, ending his speech. I looked away from my feet to the scene before me, where hugs and blessings were given as people began to move. I didn't pay true attention to who I was I was speaking or who I was thanking; my brain was just working on autopilot. It was almost all I was capable of as I realized that the service was over and I was once again was struck with the hard truth that my father was dead. My eyelids fluttered as tears threatened to overflow, but instead I focused on a man I was shaking hands with. Mother had spoken highly of him, but I couldn't find it in me to care about such things at a time like this.

"Bugger," grandfather said, coming up to my side. He was the only one who used my pet name; it was something he would call me when he was exasperated at my constant need to see the items in his Collection.

"Yes, grandfather," I asked. I was a bit glad to no longer have to fake smiles and greet people I didn't give a damn about.

"I've been thinking. I… I never expected your father to go like this, so suddenly. It reminded me that my own death is coming, much quicker than I want, I'm sure," he said, whispering quietly to me. He didn't want mother or brother to overhear, which meant he was likely up to no good.

"Grandfather, don't speak like that. You're perfectly fine, best of health," I said, a bit saddened by his words. Death always brought one's own mortality into perspective, but there was no need to speak of it the way he had.

"You and I both know what's going to happen one day. But that's only part of the point. My Collection, bugger, you know that like the back of your hand, correct," he asked. The people were starting to thin out. Cars started and traveled down the gravel roads, headed home or to our house for lunch.

"Of course," I said.

"There's more," he said softly, his mouth right by my ear. I took a breath, dredging up old memories of the place, of monsters that had me running and screaming.

Of a man called the Doctor who had the oldest eyes I'd ever seen.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" I said with a chuckle, smiling at him. When he didn't return it I realized how serious he truly was.

"Grandfather," I said slowly. He looked at me for a moment, and then glanced around at the people left. Most were conversing with each other softly and left us alone. My brother and mother were occupied with sympathetic visitors, which seemed to help my grandfather decide.

"I can't tell you everything here, but is there any way you can come to my collection sometime this afternoon? I have something to show you," he said.

"But mother, and the funeral-"

"Don't tell her a word! Tell her you're coming visit for old time's sake, that you feel nostalgic. Right now, she'll believe it readily enough. Please, you're the only one who'll be able to understand. Bugger," he whispered softly, pleading with me. I paused in thought, realizing what he could possibly be giving me. It was a chance to see the Doctor again, if he hadn't escaped yet.

"I'll be there," I said. My tone was sure, making my grandfather smile. He wrapped me up in a hug.

"Oh bugger, I love you so much!" he said, kissing my forehead gently. I grinned proudly.

"If I get in trouble, it's your fault though, you hear?" I said. Grandfather laughed.

"I know, I know. What else are mad grandfathers for?"

ooOoo

I had to admit, sneaking away from my mother was far more difficult a task than I had imagined. Every time I turned around, she had something new for me to do, be it helping an older guest, getting her a drink, or making sure my brother didn't drink away his sorrows. It wasn't until most of the guests had started to leave that I was finally able to make my move.

Asking her, in the end, turned out to be much easier than my attempts to sneak away. She agreed, her eyes tearing up as she said I should spend as much time with my grandfather as possible. He was aging and she knew what my grandfather meant to me. Once I was released from the duties of a grieving daughter, I made a beeline for my car and drove straight to Grandfather's house. He didn't live far, about a twenty minute drive away. Driving there was hard; despite trying to use the hope of seeing the Doctor to distract myself, I had all the time I needed to think. Thinking made me realize that my father was dead and it was dangerous to drive with those heavy thoughts weighing on my mind.

Grandfather's mansion soon came into view and my mounting excitement shoved everything else from my mind. I hastily typed the password into the keypad at the gate and nearly honked my horn at the slow gate. Gravel kicked up as my tires went from road to driveway and I was thankful my grandfather wasn't the kind of person to have a ridiculously lengthy drive.

No one was around as I parked, the house strangely quiet, even given what had happened. I wondered if my grandfather was so serious about what he was going to show me that he'd dismissed all the staff early. If that were true, then he'd never live down that I'd snuck into his secret collection when I was six. Bottling my laughter, I entered the house carefully, just in case.

"Hello?" I called into the empty home. No reply. I sighed and walked towards the stairs. They led me down a few floors till I was in front of a steel door; I pressed a button on the intercom next to the door, the static informing me I had connected.

"Grandfather, I'm here," I said. There was a pause and the door swung open. I walked in, suddenly surrounded by glass boxes of various sizes on pedestals. They seemed to be arranged without rhyme or reason, but I knew how Grandfather's organization skills worked.

Grandfather put the items and creatures he'd found first towards the entrance. He considered his first finds inferior; he hadn't known what he'd been looking for then. Then again, I wondered what had truly gotten him started collecting. Could it possibly one of the creatures in the grounds below? _I'll just have to ask, won't I?_

"Bugger," Grandfather shouted, walking towards me from a "younger" side of his Collection. He was approaching from way that led to the door.

"Hey, where is everybody?" I asked. His face fell a little, an almost paranoid look coming over him. Almost.

"I let them go for the day. They need to mourn, don't they," he said quietly.

"Of course," I said. He was lying, I could feel it in my bones. Was the secret behind the door that that sensitive? It made me wonder exactly how special the Doctor was.

"If you'll come this way," he said, turning to walk back from whence he'd come. His fingers brushed the cases as we passed, stopping momentarily at some as memories washed over him. If there was one thing I knew for a fact, it was that my Grandfather loved his collection more than his life.

"What exactly is this all about?" I said. My words mixed together with the sound of our shoes hitting the floor, and, for a moment, that was all the sound there was.

"I can't say right here. We have to get into a secure area first. Then I'll speak. Better yet, I'll show you," he said, stopping in front of the door.

"Isn't that some old broom closet," I asked, attempting to maintain the façade of an unknowing participant. He laughed at my words, beginning to input a password into the keypad. It was much longer than I remembered.

"I always wondered what you thought this was. No, it's better," he said. His eyes were glittering, like a child showing off a new toy.

He pressed his thumb against a small screen and a blue light scanned his thumbprint. Then he opened his left eye wide as another scanner checked him again. My eyebrows went up in surprise. He'd upgraded during the years I been away.

"That's high tech," I commented while the door unlocked.

"Only the best. After you," he said, holding the door open and gesturing for me to go in first. I responded in kind, walking back into that well-lit hallway. My eyes wandered about, taking in every detail. When I was a child I couldn't exactly comprehend what I was getting into, but now there was a kind of awareness that came with age.

I heard the door close and lock soundly behind us. My Grandfather walked around me, taking the lead. He led me down the hall to the fork in the path.

"Which way?" I asked, although I knew which direction to go. I could already feel my heart speed up. I hadn't forgotten about the monsters on the left.

"Well, to the right is keeper's quarters. I can show you, but it's a bit boring. The left though, the left has things beyond your wildest imagination," he said, smiling. I returned the gesture, knowing all too well what he was talking about.

"I say we turn left," I said. He offered his hand and I took it. It was funny, at twenty years old I still clung to my Grandfather's hand like a lifeline. We were quiet as we went along, slowly appreciating all that was around us, even if it was only grey walls.

"There's something I need to explain to you," Grandfather said, swinging my hand lightly.

"Yes," I asked.

"What you'll see down here is my attempts at trying to . . . surpass death," he said nervously.

"Are you talking about . . . immortality?" I asked, my eyes looking up at his face in surprise. He kept his gaze trained ahead, his wrinkled face not showing any emotion. All his feelings were contained in his tone.

"We're trying for that. Trying to beat out the reaper himself. And throughout my travels I've seen things that have that. Or who come very damn close," he said.

"But immortality is impossible," I said. But part of me believed. Was that why the Doctor was down here?

"As an archeologist in training you should know that isn't true. People are immortal, in a way. Their legacies resonate throughout the ages. Although, I do see your point," he said. I rolled my eyes at him, observing that little detail. He didn't really see, thankfully.

"Prepare yourself. Some of these creatures are a bit scary," he said, "But remember they're a vital part of my research. So in a way, they're all beautiful."

"Creatures," I asked, my voice rising a bit. He finally broke out of his reverie, glancing over at me and holding my hand tighter.

"Grandfather's here, Bugger. Everything's fine," he said and the glass came into view. I saw the metal man and my heart stopped.

"Oh God," I whispered. I didn't move till my Grandfather tugged gently on my hand.

"They're all behind glass. They can't get out, I promise," he said. I was reluctant, but I finally followed.

"This," he said, pointing to the metal man, "Is a Cyberman. It's probably the only true immortal creature here."

It moved, just like it had when I was little, and electrocuted the glass. The blue glow illuminated us and made a cold shiver run down my spine.

"You can't want to be like that," I said.

"No, I don't. That's the problem with this creature. Immortal, but inhuman. And terribly so. It has an emotional inhibiter to prevent itself from understanding what it is. A form of protection from insanity."

My Grandfather had adopted the tone he'd used when I was little. It was a clear cut, careful explanation gleaned from years of learning. I hadn't known how much I had missed it.

"It's creepy," I said softly, but I was fascinated more than scared now.

"Indeed. Now if we turn around, we'll see a Dashig," Grandfather said, tugging my hand. I followed closely as we came upon the caterpillar-like creature I'd seen all those years ago. It was actually sleeping this time.

"It's a very aggressive creature, but I daresay it's kind of used to people passing by it every day now. It used to viciously attack anything that passed by, but I guess it figured out it was useless. Sleeps a lot now, ignores when people walk by," he explained, going so far to tap his fingers against the glass. The thing didn't move a muscle.

"That's impressive," I said, surprised. I'd thought for sure it would get out and kill me when I was six. Then again, it had been fourteen years. A lot could change in that span of time.

We went along our way, stopping front of each glass, Grandfather telling facts or stories from each creature. I was fascinated, no longer the scared child. With knowledge of what they were, I no longer feared the unknown.

"It's crazy to think you found all these creatures here on Earth. Forget about drudging up the past's bones, do you know how many new species you're holding down here?" I said, the scientist in me beginning to emerge. It captivated me to see all the life he had hidden. If only he were to show the world. . .

"They're not all from Earth. A majority of these creatures . . . are alien," he said as if conveying a great secret.

"Alien?" I whispered, "My God, they're real."

"Each and every one. Although, a few do come from Earth and they are new species, but that's child's play compared the extraterrestrial life down here. And I'm not the only one. Henry van Statten had something just like this, though it got destroyed a year or so back. Pity, really. He had only one live alien, if I recall correctly though," he said.

"I assumed the papers were all hoaxes. I mean the government was always so quick to cover it up, I never really thought . . .," I murmured. When I was little, the creatures had been monsters coming to eat me. It had never truly occurred to me that they could be from other worlds. Made in a lab, sure. Captured off the coast of an unknown island, fine. But never out of this world.

"It's all very real, and this isn't the rarest of them all. Mind you, they're all still rare, but a few of these have several others in existence, on some other planet and one just happened to come to earth. Just ahead is the jewel of my collection, the one thing I was truly extremely fortunate to find," he explained. The glass cages were gone and behind us now. My heart thundered in my chest at the thought of what was ahead. Was the Doctor still there, after all these years?

When we came up to where the Doctor had been, at first I hoped he'd found away to escape the cage that held him. Instead we were greeted with a man; he was bent over, the side of his face pressed into the floor, his hand knocking ever so slightly against the cement. He was intently focused on what he was doing, but his eyes glanced up and spotted us. Surprised at being caught, he shot up, over tipped himself and fell over in a heap on the floor. Just as quickly as he'd fallen, he got up, standing straight, attempting to regain some sort of pride after the embarrassing situation.

"This is the Doctor. The greatest find in my collection and the one creature that continues to baffle us," Grandfather said, sweeping his hand out to showcase his favorite alien. I was in awe. The Doctor looked like he hadn't aged a day since I'd seen him all those years ago.

"He's a man," I said, although I knew it wasn't wholly true.

"No, he's from out there. A Time Lord. The very last of his kind. Unfortunately that's close to about all the information we have about him." Grandfather seemed a bit sad about this, but there was a passion in his eyes that said he wasn't done yet. The Doctor just rolled his eyes, looking a bit annoyed by the whole ordeal.

"Quite handsome for an alien," I said. He wasn't what I expected an alien to be. If I thought of any creature being an alien, it would have been that Drashig. But not him. He just looked so human.

My comment didn't escape his clever eyes. He smiled saucily, putting his hands in his suspenders before replying, "Why thank you."

I blinked. I'd just understood him. It wasn't as if I could hear him, but I could read his lips. It finally occurred to me what had gone wrong all those years ago. I'd been too young to even begin to think about reading lips, and he'd been able to read mine perfectly. There was no true language barrier, but a simple misunderstanding.

"He talks like that all the time. He talks so much, but we can't understand a word of it. That's why we haven't been able to learn much. Everything about his language is so beyond our science and the one person who can tell us about it is him. Yet he doesn't know a lick of any Earth language," Grandfather said, sighing. My eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"He does speak English. He just told me thank you," I said.

"See, she gets me – wait, English?" The Doctor said from behind his glass. He started to stare at me. "I've seen you somewhere before . . ."

"That's impossible. He speaks in some alien tongue, not English. Nothing remotely like it," Grandfather said. He was astonished, his expression glittering with excitement.

"Where have we met?" The Doctor asked. He walked towards the glass, his eyes bearing down on me. I didn't want to admit it in front of Grandfather, but the Doctor deserved to know.

"I was the little girl. Couldn't read lips back then so I didn't know what you were saying," I said. The Doctor blinked, then his mouth opened in a large O.

"It's you," he said, putting his hands against the glass, "How've you been?"

"Little girl? What are you talking about, Bugger? What's going on," Grandfather demanded. I wanted to continue to talk to the Doctor, but my Grandfather was the one allowing me to even be here.

"I saw him once, when I was little. He talked to me a bit, but it was through a window so I couldn't hear. I never imagined I'd see him again, let alone find out he was an alien," I said.

"You understand him?" Grandfather asked. He seemed to overlook the fact that I had obviously broken into the most secret part of the Collection.

"Yes I do."

"That's a miracle."

"I've been well," I replied, speaking to the Doctor again, "and you're an alien? That's new."

"Oh come on, you knew. Just a little part of you, maybe at the back of your head, screamed I was an alien. That's why you were scared of me. I wasn't natural and children are far more sensitive to that," the Doctor said.

"Then explain what happened after that?" I said, remembering my own trust in him at the end.

"Children can also recognize the good from the bad. If they didn't have that, they wouldn't survive as well as they do. Once you got over the unnaturality of me, your instincts took over and let you know I wasn't going to hurt you," he said. I nodded, taking in every word of what he said. My Grandfather was spellbound, enjoying the fact that someone could finally communicate with his special prize.

"That's quite the observation," I replied finally. The Doctor smiled knowingly.

"I'm good at observation. One of my strong points. Not so good at getting out of here for some strange reason, though," he said, his eyes darting to my grandfather for a second.

"I'm not the person to talk to about that," I said, but the Doctor shook his head.

"I think you're exactly the person to talk to, Bugger," the Doctor said, stressing the word _Bugger_ greatly.

"I get what you mean about those observational powers," I said softly, forgetting for a moment that the Doctor wasn't listening for sound, but reading my lips. It didn't matter that much anyway.

"Grandfather, you haven't had any luck trying to talk to him," I asked.

"No, we haven't," Grandfather said. He was catching on to what I was saying quickly.

"Could I . . . help you? You wanted me to see your legacy down here, correct? Why don't I get my feet wet a little," I said.

"That's a brilliant idea. I think you'll fit right in," he replied. But his expression grew confused as he watched the Doctor. I looked to see the Doctor smiling, tilting his head back and forth slowly. His hair swished lightly as he did, speaking to me again.

"I think this'll work out for the better. I look forward to meeting you another time, Ms Bugger. Till then, may the force be with you!" he said, aimlessly quoting Star Wars. He returned to where he'd been when we walked in, on the floor and knocking against the concrete with his hand. My grandfather stared a moment longer before shaking his head.

"Anyway, whenever you can find some time. I know how hard it can be to escape your mother and all, but I really could use your help," he said.

"I know. I'll do my best," I replied, but my purpose wasn't truly to help my grandfather. It was to learn more about the Doctor; he fascinated me like nothing else. Sighing to myself, I went with my grandfather to make plans about my next visit the most interesting person I'd ever met.

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	3. Chapter 3

_Enter the Master holding a script, munching on a leg of turkey: _These people, authors or whatever they call themselves would like you to know they own Doctor Who. Oh wait, my mistake, grease stain on the paper! They do not own Doctor Who and it's actually owned by the BBC and that they – _He stops mid-read to eat the paper after having finished the turkey._ I'm hungry, sue me! Damn show writers . . . _Continues to eat paper as he walks off, laughing._

Chapter 3: Small Words, Larger Truths

I knew it wouldn't be that hard to get my mother to understand my wish to go back to Grandfather's. She actually came up with most of the excuse herself, saying something along the lines of 'I had to have been so moved by my father's death and finally being able to truly appreciate the time with my grandfather, I wanted more'. I just nodded, agreeing with her weepy blubbering, feeling just a smidgen guilty that it wasn't the actual reason. Now maybe if the Doctor wasn't there it might have been, but then again, I wouldn't want to return if the Doctor wasn't there. So it was a moot point, really.

Getting mother's approval was the easy part. The harder one was clearing my own schedule. I was working towards a degree in archeology with plans on going on to a doctorate eventually. I was an honors student with high grades and a very active member in several clubs too; it wasn't as if I could suddenly drop everything for no reason. Before now, I believed free time to be something better left to discovering new treasures, or bettering oneself; these, I now reasoned, could both be obtained by time spent speaking to the _him_. Education was at the for-front of my mind at all times, always first on my list of things to do. And now, learning about the Doctor was topping that list.

Sighing, I looked down in my lap at some schoolwork describing, in extensive detail, the uses of archaeological tools at a dig, but my mind was far from it. Just outside the window, a storm was brewing, thunder rumbled, and lightening flashed far off in the distance. I wondered for a moment what it would be like to stand in the heart of a storm, consumed, yet unaffected by its raw power. Silly ideas, really. Something that could never happen, no matter how much I wished it. So when the rain started to patter against the glass, I steadily wrote in answers and side notes for later. Work first, dreams later. Because, as much as I may want to run off and chase my impossible desires, my real life and my work would come first, always.

But . . . my new job required I find out more from the Doctor. Okay, I was going for an archaeology degree, but still, the Doctor had to have something to do with previous human societies! Right? I hoped my suppositions were more than my desperation grasping at straws in the dark, more than rationalization for some mad dream of mine.

Homeworks done, I convinced myself to figure something out. My schedule was demanding, but there had to be some hole in it. Some space I couldn't fill with something better to do . . .

I smiled as I spotted it on the calendar. On Wednesdays I was off for about two hours where I could do normal things like watch TV, or read. Who needed those things? I picked up a pencil and wrote in 'job training' over what was previously there. My schedule might drive me mad one day, but at this point in time, I was loving it. And if everything went as planned, Wednesdays would become my favorite day of the week.

ooOoo

I stood outside of my Grandfather's mansion once more, but this time the staff flocked to me the moment I arrived. They scurried about, taking my coat, asking if I would like food or drink, and seeing to any other whim I may have. I didn't care much, just simply requested they leave my presence as I went downstairs. The familiar path made me think of when I was little, eagerly running ahead of Grandfather to the treasures held below. If I'd only known what had truly lain down there.

Grandfather was waiting by the door, his mouth turning up in a smile at my approach.

"How's our special friend," I asked.

"Oh he's doing fine. Attempted to escape once since you've last seen him, but it was, as he himself said, 'an overwhelming failure'," my Grandfather said.

"What did he try to do," I asked.

"He found a weak spot in the concrete and tried to use that to collapse the floor of the building. It almost worked, but luckily there's steel floor bolstering the concrete," Grandfather explained.

"That is some ingenious thinking," I said, equally surprised and impressed.

"I only installed that feature after he tried to escape a few years back. Same place too. This time though, he'd hoped to have the weight break the steel, thus causing even more panic. One of the workers recognized what he was doing from before and we stopped him in time. Had to move him to another cell and everything. Diligence is key when it comes to him. About all we can do," Grandfather said almost tiredly.

"Constant vigilance, eh?" I couldn't help the chuckle that escaped my lips. Grandfather's eyes snapped to anger and my momentary lapse died.

"Anyway, you're ready to help out? Get him to talk," Grandfather said.

"Yes sir," I replied quickly to which he nodded.

"If you'll follow me, I'll brief you on what you need to do and how everything's going to work," he said, waiting for my reply. The moment I nodded, he turned heel and we headed down the right hallway this time. Doors, some with windows into various workrooms, lined either side the hall. So this was where everyone who took care of the creatures worked. It amazed me how a simple wrong turn could have led me to a very different fate that day so long ago.

"You'll have this ear piece so I can communicate with you while you're in the cage. We'll be able to understand at least your part of the conversation. If you can, ask the Doctor to switch to English. I doubt he'll listen, but it's worth a try. The important thing is starting to build a relationship with him, make him trust you, then get the info out of him," Grandfather explained.

"But wouldn't he figure this all out already? I mean, he's obviously smarter than you give him credit for," I admitted. Grandfather gave a quick laugh, shaking his head.

"I know exactly how smart he can be. It's been hell keeping him here," Grandfather said. I smiled, having no trouble imagining that.

"I basically know what you want me to find out, but is there anything in specific I should ask him," I asked. Grandfather paused, thinking carefully before replying.

"Find out how he hasn't aged a day in all these years he's been captured and . . . if the legends of his regenerative abilities are true." Grandfather ended his words at a whisper. He made it seem like he was still trying to process the last part of the sentence.

"Regenerate? He can do that?" I asked, bewildered.

"We're not sure. We do have some info on him, taken from the Torchwood archives, but the info's been corrupted. Everything's essentially rubbish and the personnel who were there before the files were corrupted have all been hidden away into society. It's mostly a dead end."

"Mostly?"

"There were names. Only one was a full name, but others were simply just part of names, maybe keywords for you to listen out for. I can allow you to look at the files later, but for now, the ones that were listed were Jones, Donna, Sarah, and . . . Pond. There are more, but it's what I can remember for now."

"Awful lot of females," I muttered under my breath.

"And of course, the full name has been checked out. It's strange though, the family is listed as dead, but those closest to them said they disappeared. They said the daughter had been traveling with a man, not matching the description of our current Doctor, might I mention. Makes me wonder truly. The mother and boyfriend of the daughter disappeared at different times, but it was if they just up and left. They said the whole thing rather odd."

"Sounds suspicious," I admitted, "What was the name?"

"Rose Marion Tyler. It was years ago, though, and the family was so . . . ordinary. I don't even know why it would even register to the Doctor to interact with them, if he did."

"Maybe people don't have to be important to interact with him. Maybe he likes the most ordinary person you can find," I said. Grandfather shrugged his shoulders.

"Hopefully we'll find out soon," he replied, stopping at a door and turning to me.

"This is the way into his area. If something happens and he attacks, we'll unlock the door and you'll be able to escape. He shouldn't be able to follow you if you're quick enough—"

"Basically, once I'm through this door, I'm on my own."

"Technically, no—"

"I'll be fine. I doubt he'd do that."

"Also, do be most careful when going through the doors. Don't want to have an accident and let him get free. Because I promise you, the moment he's free he'll never come back." Grandfather was serious, making sure I understood not to take the matter lightly. I met his eyes and nodded, ready to be let though. He understood, input the password in the keypad, and opened the door for me. It hissed as it opened, letting me into a chamber with dark walls and no light.

"Good luck, Bugger," Grandfather said before slowly closing the door. The light faded until I was cast into total darkness. The door made a locking noise and I stayed still, waiting for a few moments before I heard a similar hissing sound and the door in front of me opened slowly. Light flooded back into the chamber and I had to squint before I could see the Doctor's figure, which had been lying on the cot, suddenly sit up.

"That's new," he mumbled, staring at me as I walked out of the chamber. The door shut itself behind me, locking tightly. We stared at each other for a moment, awkward. I opened my mouth to speak, but found no words coming out. I'd waited for this and now that it was here I speechless. _God I feel like an idiot…_

"Are you the next bright attempt to make me speak? Well, it worked, I'm talking, sort of," the Doctor asked. He looked a little bored, almost frustrated with the whole ordeal. I felt a twinge of sympathy for his situation.

"I'm not. I just... wanted to meet you," I answered, and it was the truth. I didn't care what my Grandfather wanted and if he questioned me about my words later, I'd lie and say it was to gain the Doctor's trust. The Doctor's eyes slid up to mine, him taking me in carefully. He seemed a bit surprised, but he didn't voice why.

"Oh really? And what may I ask, is so special about me in the two brief meetings we had that warranted a third," he asked. He was a little less stiff, genuinely curious as to what I had to say. I smiled.

"I don't know for sure, but I just know I had to. There's something different about you. You're an alien, but . . . not," I answered. I slowly moved to sit on the ground, leaning up against the wall.

"I get that a lot. I assume you know what I am?"

"Time Lord. A name, that's all. Does it mean you control time," I asked.

"Not really. Time always works against us, pushing us further along our paths when we'd rather stay in place. I guess you could say I'm more . . . _aware _of time," he replied, which left me even more confused.

"If you're not a lord of time and can't control it . . . how old are you?" I asked, knowing the question was a weird way to end the sentence. My mouth just moved and asked the question before I really had had the chance to realize what it was. Nerves, I guessed.

"A Time Lord never reveals his age. If you must know, I don't truly know. I can guestimate, but I'm probably off by years."

"Then, you're old?"

"Impossibly so. Somewhere around… 910, I think. But, age isn't exactly the best way to measure the time you've been in existence. Sometimes, you're beyond your years, or you're younger than them. For all you know, I could be very young, but appear older."

"You look young to me," I admitted. He smiled.

"And very handsome, but looks can be deceiving." He put a hand on his pillow, watching it for a moment before looking back at me.

"Very, very deceiving. If you'd walked past me on a street, I'd be another human, not some alien captured and held in your grandfather's basement."

"How did you know he was my grandfather?"

"His age suggests that and he called you familiarly, right, Bugger? They were the clues I needed," he replied. I opened my mouth to speak, but just then a bit of static came through on the headphones.

"He's not speaking in English. Just so you know," Grandfather said. I thought it was weird, considering every word that came out of the Doctor's mouth was English.

"Oh cellphones. How I've seen them grow," the Doctor chuckled, his eyes landing on the device in my ear. I wondered briefly if he'd heard what Grandfather was saying. "I once saved the world with a cellphone. Great time, that one."

"How did you mange that," I asked.

"That's a tale for another day," the Doctor said, looking directly at me now. He seemed serious, as if he'd just figured something out.

"Doctor," I asked.

"I've been talking for a while, testing if you would continue speaking, to see how you react. You haven't missed a word; keeping up with my conversation far too well for it to be one sided. How can you understand me? I'm not speaking in English," the Doctor said, his eyes darting about my face.

"Yes, you are. I can hear it plain as day," I replied quickly, sticking my chin out a bit in stubbornness.

"No, I'm not," he said, eyes locking straight into mine as if he was trying to read my very mind, "The language is so old and ancient that nothing could translate. It's just me, I'm the only one who knows . . ." He became distant for a moment before coming back with a sudden fire.

"The TARDIS! It's getting inside your mind, translating everything I say! But, it can't because I've shut it down for the time being, unless—" he shouted, his mouth moving a mile a minute. I had to focus on him completely or I'd have missed whole chunks of the sentences.

"What is your name," he asked suddenly, watching me carefully.

"River. River Song," I said.

"Oh," he said softly leaning back till his head touched the wall behind him. He stared at me with a strange kind of understanding and almost fascination I couldn't fathom.

"What's my name have to do with anything," I said. He half-smiled.

"You haven't met me yet. This is the first time you meet me and the first time I know more than you do. I . . . River, it's a pleasure to meet you, for real this time. For the first time, again," he said, holding out a hand. I stood up and walked over to shake his hand.

"We've met? But how? Besides when I was a little girl? That's impossible," I said, slowly lowering to sit on the floor where I was now.

"Nothing's impossible. Oh River, the things we could see. You have no idea what's out there, beyond this little basement." He leaned over as he spoke, placing his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands.

"Well, for starters, what's this about a TARDIS in my head?" I asked.

"Oh that. Well, I'm speaking in a language that is far beyond any technology's understanding, expect for the TARDIS. And the TARDIS listens to me and it knows not to translate anything, but it recognized your unique DNA print and saw you as a friend. It knows I know you, so it translates languages for you. Not to worry, it doesn't harm you in any way, just makes it a lot harder for me to get away with cursing," he explained, his facial expressions changing with each word to further emphasis each point. I couldn't help but smile a bit at the odd man before me.

"What is the TARDIS?" I asked eagerly, remembering how my grandfather would relate tales to me and listening with just as much enthusiasm.

"Well it stands for 'Time And Relative Dimensions In Space' and it—"

"Time's up. Your mother is worried. Something about you have yet to give her a phone call." My grandfather's voice cut in loudly on my earpiece, drowning out what the Doctor was saying. I pressed a finger to the device after quieting the Doctor with a wave of my hand.

"Grandfather, not yet! Please," I pleaded. I heard a sigh on the other end.

"I wish I could, but your mother insists. Come back immediately," he ordered and then there was silence. The Doctor waited patiently as I gave a groan and stood up.

"We're going to have to put this conversation on hold, Doctor. I hate to say it, but I've got to go. I'll see you again soon, I promise," I said. He nodded.

"I'll be in the same place, same time, same everything. You're lucky I haven't broken down and demanded my phone call," he said coolly, sitting up. I chuckled.

"Once you've done something criminal, I'll consider it," I shot back, walking across the room to the hidden door. Once I had gone out of the room, he replied, the words catching me before I sealed him back in his cell.

"Already have, River. Already have."

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	4. Chapter 4

_Enter River Song with the sonic screwdriver twirling in her fingertips_: The authors thought it best I inform you that Doctor Who is not their original idea and is actually copyrighted by the BBC. However, I think we all know very well that The Doctor is my bitch. _She smiles._ Tootles!

**Chapter Four: **_**Stories Reminiscent of Childhood**_

Wednesday felt like it would never come fast enough. The moment I realized I was done with everything, I'd had a moment of euphoria before grabbing my keys and heading to Grandpa's house. Once I got there, I'd headed straight to the basement where I was briefed by Grandpa before heading into the Doctor's cell. At first he wasn't very pleased to see me, and our conversations were almost dry, but he'd warmed up more than he had that first day. It seemed that once he found out my name was River Song, he opened up a bit more, telling me stories instead of answering any question I shot at him directly.

The stories, at first, were missing important details and a bit vague, but their meaning was not lost. Simple adventures, things he said he had experienced, but they partly made me believe he just had a fantastical imagination.

"Have you ever been to Pompeii," he asked suddenly after I had questioned how long he'd been trapped. I knew it was one of his many attempts to shift the topic off of himself because he didn't want to answer the question.

"Yes, it's a lovely historical site. I've been there to dig as well," I said. His face dropped, shaking his head at me.

"Archaeologist? There's better than that out there for you," he said, almost in disgust.

"In training, and no, there is nothing better. I love it to death," I shot back, a bit proud of my own choice of profession. He rolled his eyes.

"I hate archeologists. Okay, not really hate, but it's definitely a negative emotion, kind of like hate but not truly hate."

"Disgust?"

"That's it! That's perfect. Anyway, back to Pompeii-"

"Best dig site ever."

"Stop that," he said, frowning at me. He was like a disappointed child, mad that their parent wouldn't listen to amazing feat they'd just accomplished. I wanted to laugh, but I avoided it.

"Pompeii. Right before it blew up, volcano and everything. I was there, watching it, the people and the entire city, bustle with life the day before it was overrun with lava and fire-"

"That's impossible," I said, "No one can travel back in time, to Pompeii before it burned." It was the first time he'd mentioned traveling through time. He had only talked about other worlds or random alien attacks within the last few years.

He was silent as his eyes bore into mine and I stopped cold.

"But that's unfeasible," I whispered to which he chuckled.

"I'm an alien, and I know you before having even met you and _this_ somehow surprises you," he asked.

"I get surprised every day. Pompeii?"

"Yes, I traveled there. Really to impress a friend. We were supposed to be in Rome, but we landed in Pompeii-"

"Landed? Like you have a ship?"

"I'm an alien. Of course I have ship!"

"Is it . . . huge and spacey?" _Great going, River, _I thought, _you're working toward your doctorate and the best words you can think of are 'huge and spacey'?_

"If you keep interrupting I won't tell you about Pompeii," he shouted, shaking his head at me. I closed my mouth, keeping myself in check now.

"A friend and I happened to land the day before Mount Vesuvius blew. Upon realizing what we'd landed in . . . she asked me to save the people there. I couldn't though, because it was a point in time that was fixed. Nothing I could do would ever save it; I just had to leave before everything collapsed. That didn't sit so well with my friend," he explained, his hands gesturing every so often as he wove his tale. Questions bit at my tongue, but I stopped them from rising.

"She . . . wanted me to do something. Fight against time itself, something I knew I couldn't. I just knew there was nothing I could do, but it ended up that I decided everything. I had to choose to destroy Pompeii," he said. My hands clasped together over mouth.

"And I let it happen, because it was either one city, or the whole world. It's agonizing, to have to decide who lives, who dies, but it's a decision I'm faced with. It's the life I lead, but the trade off is . . . to able to see such things. Such wonders. Pompeii! It was glorious, bustling to the brim with humans and life! Just spectacular there," he said, his tone vibrant after being subdued for so long.

"I'm sure it was," I said, my hands dropping to my sides.

"More than what you realize. That's why I don't like archeologists. They only look at things, assume what they can about places or people. They can never catch the real energy of the place. They don't understand because they were never there to experience it. It's not in the pots or pieces of art, but the people who existed at the time," he said, "in that aspect, I'm technically the best archaeologist ever."

He shivered suddenly, looking almost angry at himself. "I just called myself the best archaeologist ever."

"Then you're a great teacher. Be my mentor?" I teased. He laughed.

"Oh I doubt I'd ever be a good teacher. Tend to babble on with explaining myself properly. You'd be lost," he said, "besides, I've done far too much wrong to be any kind of true teacher."

"You destroyed Pompeii, a place that was meant to die, to save the world. And that makes you bad?" I said. His eyes darkened, hinting at something much deeper than I could understand.

"I guess that's up to interpretation. I've not only been to Pompeii though. Rome, during the Great Fire, met, and snogged, Madame de Pompadour, am a great friend of William Shakespeare, have been and taken part of World War I and II many times. And that's just the tip of iceberg," he said. I smiled, fascinated.

"Could you tell me about one of them?" I asked.

"Whichever you choose," he said.

"Madame de Pompadour and William Shakespeare! All of them, but those first, please," I said excitedly. He smiled.

"Ah, Madame de Pompadour, was quite a woman, very lovely and proud-"

And he continued to tell me stories, slowly growing in detail, but always leaving out certain elements that seemed important to me. I began to wonder when he would trust me enough to tell me the important parts, but I realized it was already enough of a breakthrough for him to tell me about Pompeii and the decision he'd had to go through.

What was more significant about Pompeii was, for the first time, I started to believe his grand and fancy tales of adventure.

ooOoo

"I come from a planet named Gallifrey." The words surprised me; we were having a conversation about the effectiveness of interstellar space travel. He'd been drifting in and out of the conversation for a while and I was learning why.

"I've never heard of it," I admitted. His lips curled up in a brief smile.

"You wouldn't have. It was light-years from here and died many years before and after you were born," he said.

"How is that possible?" I asked softly.

"A planet full of Time Lords? How else could it exist," he replied, sitting up now straighter now. He'd been leaning against the wall, sitting on his cot as he usually did. His eyes stared deep into the far wall, a million miles away.

"What did it look like?" I asked. His expression was lost and saddened, reliving old memories.

"The trees . . . they were silver, shimmering like the stars when the wind would blow. Not enough to blind you, just beautiful, existing and living. The skies were orange at night, like the blinding fires that would bring its very destruction. There were large glass domes that surrounded the cities, protecting them from the cruelties of nature and the effects they might cause on that nature as well. Grand, towering cities, dwarfed by mountains capped with the brightest snow, and red grass I'd run through as a child. I can just see it now, the tall waves of grass surrounding me as I ran to my home from a day of rough play. Simpler days that I wish I could have again. And the suns, how they'd set the world alight and shine brighter than anything you've ever seen. If I had known what would happen, I'd have stayed out a little longer, lain in the grass till I feel asleep and ended up with a prompt spanking from mother the next day. It would be worth it now."

I couldn't help myself as I sat on my knees, enraptured by his words. It was as if I could see Gallifrey, was right there with the Doctor with the cool waves of red grass shimmering around me. I suddenly wanted to visit it, know what happened to it.

"What happened?" My voice was barely a whisper, but the Doctor heard it clear enough.

"I destroyed it. Made it burn, the Time Lords and the Daleks, nasty creatures, together locked in their constant battles that raged again and again." His eyes were weighted with tears ready to spill. He was reliving this, as he had the memories of the grass. And his pain…it was a tangible sensation that hung heavy in the air; my heart ached for him.

"They would trap themselves in endless paradoxes, endless living, and dying, repeatedly. It was a never ending, bloody war that reached across the stars and ravaged many species. The damage was so great that I . . . a soldier myself, so horrified with what was happening, thought I could end it all in one fatal stroke. And I did, without realizing what exactly I was doing to myself." He shook his head slightly, the tears still refusing to fall. "In truth, I should have died in that blast, but I didn't." He glanced at me, his look desperate.

"I lived, River, and people call me a coward and a killer and I know it's true. It was at that moment in time that the bloody stains on my hands became visible, and I realized exactly what I'd been doing all those years. It's why I can't bear to pick up a gun or even say certain words. Yet it follows me, River. I've had to destroy whole entire species just to save another. And it kills me!" His fingers buried in his hair as his eyes burned. He was so desperately torn. I could only watch, wishing I knew the words to say. I crawled over finally, putting a hand his knee.

"I may never truly know, or even begin to understand you in a way that will make you believe that I hurt for you. You may not even want my sympathy, but I want you to know that I am here. Right here in front of you and very much willing to help, even if it means sitting here till my Grandfather yells at me for staying too long. Doctor, this pain you carry on your shoulders is going to kill you one day. And maybe you want that, to die because of the sins you've committed, but I'll be damned if I let that happen on my watch. You are alive and have every right to live because it's the very condition you are in right now. Stand on your feet and live and don't let the people who have died for you to have sacrificed be in vain. Let yourself be happy and try to heal, even if it's just a little," I said, smiling softly at him. His anguished expression fell as he dropped one of his hands to capture mine. He squeezed it tightly, lightening up a bit.

"Very lovely words. I get too wrapped up in myself sometimes and I back track. I've been trying to get better for a while now and have had some help along the way, but those words right there are something I've been needing to hear for a while," he said. His forehead touched mine lightly, eyes closing as his breath ghosted on my face gently.

"That's perfectly alright. We all need to hear them every so often. But you know what Doctor?"

"What?" He opened his green eyes and they peered directly into mine.

"I'd love to lay down in the grass and sleep there all night too. Enjoy the wonder of nature that I've been given," I said. He grinned.

"I may not have Gallifrey anymore, but there is Earth itself. When I leave this place, I'll do that. Sleep in the grass, catch a cold, and have some tea. It's simple and amazing," he said, his tone one of excitement.

"I'll be waiting," I replied, almost without realizing what I was saying. What I was promising to do.

"I know," were his last words before Grandpa called me out.

ooOoo

After we'd spoken about Gallifrey, he cheered up a bit. He greeted me loudly whenever I entered, smiling away and speaking aimlessly with me about whatever we could think to talk about. I still turned over the Gallifrey conversation in my mind, new questions popping up in my head about it all the time. One day, I finally asked.

"Who are your companions? You've spoken of them, but not about them," I said. The Doctor seemed a bit surprised by this.

"I haven't? Well, I've had loads of companions who once traveled with me."

"Once traveled?" I asked. He nodded.

"People tend to leave after a while. Or they are forced to. It's always up to them, mostly. I can't really say they had a choice when it came to being forced to separate, though," he said.

"How are they separated? What could force them so far away that even your grasp can't reach," I said. He frowned, knocking his head against glass.

"There was this one woman who it happened to. She was a fantastic, brilliant, most amazing woman. Her name was Donna Noble and she was a great friend of mine. She always thought she was a nothing, a temp, but she was greater than that."

"I imagine so. I mean to travel with you; you'd have to be on the top of your game."

"Sort of. I choose my friends wisely, but they're not always the perfect and wonderfully amazing. They can be as simple as . . . a temp from Chizack who just so happens to land right in front of you."

"Am I a friend?" I couldn't help but ask as I leaned my back against the cement. He scratched his chin for a moment before nodding.

"I'd say so. Only person who bothers to understand me in this place."

"I'm the only one who can," I said. He smiled a bit.

"Now, Donna. Donna was a great friend who I traveled with for a while. She was loud, abrasive, one of those people who could go toe to toe with me when it came to wit. Those were some fun times," he said, his eyes traveling off as he thought of her. I watched his face intently, his emotions played across them as he added in new details into the story.

"Something happened. Time Lord-Human meta-crisis, confusing stuff really, but she ended up part Time Lord, part Human. And that just can't happen." His face became grim.

"She was going to die and I knew it. There was only one way to fix it and it was . . . to erase every memory or knowledge of me that she had. Every inkling of me was wiped from her mind so she could live, even if that meant making her lose her most amazing memories."

"Tell me about it," I pressed lightly. His eyes darted about the room for a moment before focusing on the wall to my side.

"She saved the universe. For one shining instant, she saved the universe and she has no idea what she's done. Now, today, she wouldn't recognize me if I walked past her on the street."

"Not even that? Her mind would at least recognize you, but not make it far past that barrier. Like when we think we've seen someone, but we haven't," I responded, working on a theory in the back of my mind. Was he possibly talking about the regeneration?

"Nope. I could go up to her and say hi and she'd ask me if I was off my rocker," he said as he slowly came back. His lips turned upward in a grin, chuckling a little bit to himself.

"I could just see her now, yelling at me, calling me Space Man, or Alien Boy. Or maybe even a new nickname, you'd never know with her," he said.

"Space Man? I could come up with something better than that!" I challenged. He raised his eyebrows at me.

"Oh can you, Bugger?" he asked, taunting me. I bit my lip in thought, my entire brain charging.

"Marsman?"

"Lame. You're being too Donna."

"Arrogantface?"

"Your words cut me, but that's worse than Marsman."

I growled, trying to think of anything. Maybe this was doomed because he technically already had nicknames, was known by a sodding nickname! But I wanted something special that only would call him. He kind of reminded me of my Grandfather, who'd been called many names by my Grandmother. If I remembered correctly, there was one in particular she favored…

"Sweetie!"

His face fell in utter shock and horror the moment I said it.

"Oh no . . . that was my fault," he said, his voice breaking at 'fault'.

"It's perfect! Sweetie!"

"I will tell no one of your nickname, promise you anything, if you never use that nickname!"

"Too late. I love it."

"River!"

"River, why are you using your Grandmother's nickname on the Doctor?" Grandpa's voice chimed in on my earpiece.

"Just a bit of fun," I replied, smiling at the Doctor banter on about everything he'd do and all the reasons why I shouldn't use the nickname. I ignored him

"His heart rate and blood pressure are elevated," Grandfather noted.

"Oh I've just embarrassed the hell out of him. He's fine," I said.

"I am not fine! I'm very distressed and someone needs to get her out of here," the Doctor yelled, nearly tripping over his own two feet as a heavy blush covered his face.

"He's talking English!" Grandfather marveled, "He can communicate!"

"He's always been able to. Just doesn't want to," I replied. The Doctor sat on the ground, sighing to himself.

"I've doomed myself. A lifetime of being called 'Sweetie' and it's all my fault," the Doctor said, shaking his head in grief. I smiled and crouched down in front of him.

"You'll be fine. It's just a nickname," I laughed. He gave me his best dramatic serious look.

"I've been called many things, Destroyer of Worlds, The Oncoming Storm. Do you realize how much of a blow it is to my ego to also be known as _Sweetie_," he said in all earnestness.

"Well, Sweetie, I think your ego needs to be downsized a bit," I replied.

"RIVER! Listen to me!" Grandfather screamed. I assumed he'd been asking for a while, considering how angry he sounded.

"What?" I asked, standing up and walking away from the Doctor.

"Finally. I've been asking you to leave for a little while now. Would you be so kind?" Grandfather asked, almost a bit too nicely for it to be sincere. He was upset with me.

"Got it. I'm coming," I said. I turned to see the Doctor standing now, leaning against the glass.

"I'll see you next week, Sweetie," I said. He shook his head no.

"It'll be different from now on. It's been lovely visiting you, but things are going to change. They always do." He was a bit silent, as always his eyes telling me more than his words did. He seemed unhappy and bit annoyed by something. I wasn't sure what that something was.

"I'd rather it not," I replied as I went into the door that had opened for me. My last glimpse was of him frowning, his sad eyes holding mine as we were sealed off from each other, ripped apart by some means that he couldn't fix because it was beyond his grasp. In that moment, I began to understand how Donna must have felt.

_Compliments are enjoyed. Reviews are rewarded. Concrit is appreciated. Flames are exterminated._

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_**Author's Note:**__ Lyric here. I am terribly sorry to all of our regular readers for the lateness of this chapter. It is entirely my fault. Also, to those of you who are British or utilize British English, I am terribly sorry, and apologize for incorrect phrasing, spelling, and/or any other mistakes we may make in the fic. If you would like to give us suggestions or tips, feel free to shoot us an email whenever. Merci, and have a lovely day! Or night. Or whatever time it is wherever you're reading this. We harbor no partialities._

_And Ama here! And I personally think this is our best chapter yet, so I do hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have. Worth the extra wait? I do think so! :D_


	5. Chapter 5

_Enter Adam with a small sheet of paper, slightly nervous:_ Um, the authors wanted me to inform you that they do not own Doctor Who. If they did, they'd probably demand to have a TARDIS of their own. Oh wait, they're already demanding, they've just yet to have significant power or resources to do so with any authority. _Offstage, the sound of a fingersnap can be heard. Adam's forehead opens, revealing a small, satellite-like object._ _Adam: _DAMMIT! STOP DOING THAT! _ Lyric, from stage left, can be heard: _ But it's so funny…. _Amacina, for her part, is too busy rolling on the floor, dying of laughter, to either notice or care._

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**Chapter Five: **_**One in the Hand, Two in the Bush**_

I found out what that something was rather quickly. He'd spoken English, the one thing he hadn't wanted to do while locked up in that place. It had sent Grandfather into a frenzy, believing, as he did now, that I'd convinced the Doctor to reveal all his secrets. It was a far cry from the truth. Yet he would not take any explanations I offered him. The Doctor knew English and now spoke it, so all was fixed in my Grandfather's mind.

It also meant I wasn't needed anymore.

It came as a blow when Grandfather informed me on the phone that he "no longer required my assistance, and he didn't need me to come back". It took everything in me not to beg to come back. I was no longer the small child I had once been. I was a fully grown woman, perfectly capable of containing myself. But, truth was that the Doctor's words always came back to me whenever I wanted to give in. His will kept me from giving in, not my own. Things were changed now, and they would never be the same, no matter how much I wanted them to remain.

So I was left with an opening in my Wednesdays and a bit of a hole in my heart. I was using that new free time to talk to someone I'd almost ignored the last few weeks.

"You seem kinda down," said Adam, my boyfriend. I had met him at my father's funeral; apparently he was the man I'd shaken hands with that my mother had introduced, as she was only too happy to inform me. I hadn't taken much note of him then, but we met again a few days later. We'd started chatting and, before I knew it, we kept agreeing to meet again and again, till we'd got to the point to where he'd asked me out. With a little encouragement from another friend, I said yes and we'd become a couple.

"Oh, I have free time again, that's all," I replied, staring a bit into my milkshake. He had taken me out to a quaint retro diner, where I decided to indulge my misery in a hamburger and chips.

"How is that a bad thing," he asked, his brow creased in confusion. I gave him a weary smile.

"It means I have one less thing to do. Something I actually liked, too," I said.

"Why'd you stop?"

"Had to. No choice in the matter. It kills me I can't think of anything to change the situation."

"What was it? Could you tell me that," he said. I looked up at him, sighing a little before answering.

"I used to help my grandfather with his Collection. It ended up that I helped a little too much and he doesn't need me anymore," I responded. Adam watched me for a moment, taking in my sulking attitude.

"Maybe I can put in a good word for you or something? I used to work in Henry van Statton's collection before he got shut down," he said. I brightened up a bit as an idea crossed my mind.

"You're a genius, right? And you've worked in van Statton's Collection?" I paused a moment, carefully considering my next words. "Do you think you could get me back in?"

He gave me a sly grin. "Of course I can. I broke into the United States Department of Defense at eight, but I'm trying to turn over a new leaf and-"

"It's a good cause, I promise!" I said quickly, trying my best to look as honest as possible. He hesitated for a few minutes before caving in.

"Alright River, fine, I'll help you. But only because it's you," he said, "What day is this going to happen?"

"Sunday. Sunday is a lucky day."

ooOoo

"Your grandfather's house is huge," Adam marveled as we walked in. We were greeted by servants at the door, and I cheerfully gave them my coat. I introduced them to Adam, someone about whom I'd talked quite a bit, but never had shown them.

"You'll get used to it. It's just a house," I said, waving off the rest of the servants asked after our other needs.

"An expensive one. Damn, and I though van Statton's place was huge . . ."

"Come on, we need to go," I said, grabbing his arm and pulling him from the center of the grand foyer towards the stairs that led down into the basement. He started to get over his excitement as the surroundings became more familiar, but that ended the moment he stood before the Collection.

"Bloody hell! This place is amazing," he said. I forced him to continue on. He didn't resist, but his eyes were everywhere, taking in all the artefacts and items.

"There are even more amazing things than this," I said as we walked together towards the door. It took a bit to get there; he was constantly stopping at familiar items and telling what they were. His knowledge, I noted with a trace of satisfaction, was nothing compared to my grandfather. It was even smaller, however, compared to the Doctor's knowledge, almost like a grain of sand. I wasn't sure when it was that I'd begun taking a fancy to men who knew about the weird stuff like most other men knew cars. I suppose they were just the type for me.

As we approached the door Adam ran ahead of me, eager to see the kind of defense he'd be up against. "Now this is the hard part," I said as I caught up with him, "there are a password, a thumb scanner, and an eye scanner. Is there a way in?" I crossed my arms over my chest and looked pointedly at him. He just shot me that thousand-watt grin and got to work immediately, examining each piece in turn.

"Yeah, there is. It shouldn't be much of a problem, although, does your grandfather use this to get in?" he asked, motioning toward the security interface. I nodded.

"That should make things a shade easier. Even though your thumbprint and eyes are different, they should still contain similarities to his in them. That'll make it easier to trick the machine into believing we're him," Adam explained as he started tapping in numbers on the keypad. It wasn't long before he had a long string of numbers going across the screen. My instinct to learn kicked in.

"What are you doing?" I asked. He focused on his work, but explained as he did.

"Every device has some form of override or restart in case something goes wrong. It's a failsafe sort of measure to prevent total failures. It's also a hacker's best friend. Typically, most devices have some sort of code or button to press that begins the process, you just have to be smart enough to find it," he said, his fingers moving quickly as the screen finally read Access Granted.

"There we go. I've got it set to stay like that till we get through this time. Anyway, once you get to the menu, typically it's easy to get through to where it'll accept an input and allow entry. Of course this is a little more advanced than most attempts at hacking in, but I think you could learn it. Now onwards to the harder parts," he said, tapping the thumb scanner.

"You need my thumb?" I asked.

"Soon, right now, I'm going to do something similar to the access code. There should be some form of master menu that I can input a new thumbprint without having the system inform anyone. If there isn't, I'll need you to trick the system. Let's see," he replied, examining the scanner carefully. After a few moments he smiled, pressing the scanner a few places and a menu popped up.

"What'd I tell you? This model is similar to the eye scanner, so I'll do the same thing to it and we'll be in," he said, pressing his thumb to screen. He was accepted and moved on to the eye scanner.

"So are you going to be able to get back in again?" I asked.

"No. I got it set to erase everything once we get though. Like we were never here," he replied as his eye signature was accepted, "Better that way anyhow, to make sure I can't get in again. 'Cause I might try if I could, and like I said, I'm turning over a new leaf." He opened the door and held it open for me.

"Ladies first," he announced, and I proceeded on ahead of him. He closed the door silently behind us as we went forward in the hall. I glanced down the right hall, then the left before stepping back to Adam.

"We're heading left, okay? Now, there are some strange things down here, so prepare yourself," I said.

"I've seen plenty weird already," he said, following me as I darted towards the left hallway. I prayed no one would be looking at the creatures or examining through the containment glass. I hoped Sunday was their day off, and that Grandfather had worked long and hard today, considering they were trying to shift control of the businesses over to Brother.

The hallways were dimmed, leaving me to believe that that was just the case. We went forward quickly, coming upon the first few aliens. Adam slowed, amazed by the creatures.

"This is way more than what van Statton had," he whispered. I tugged his arm to get him to walk forward again. He responded after a time, still in shock at the creatures around him. Taking a little longer than I had hoped, we finally got towards the end of the hallway, were the Doctor was.

"That's just a person," Adam said as we came upon the sleeping Doctor. I smiled, knocking on the glass. The Doctor shot up, running a hand through his tousled hair as he tried to wake up from his nap.

"He's far more than just that," I replied, pointing the plaque out to Adam if he wanted to know more. The Doctor's green eyes focused and found me.

"River," he said, quickly getting off his cot to come to the glass.

"The Doctor? But that's impossible, he looks nothing like him," Adam said, coming back to look at the Doctor. The Doctor stared at him for a moment before recognizing him.

"Adam! Oh, how you've been? How's your, ah…" the Doctor asked, motioning a hand about his own brow. Adam's hand went subconsciously over his forehead, a bit in awe.

"No one knows about that. Except my mum, Rose, and the Doctor. Then you're really him? But you used to be a lot older and wore that leather jacket," Adam asked, staring at the Doctor's form as he tried to figure out what had happened.

"Yes. Just changed my look around, new face, same Doctor," the Doctor replied. I understood suddenly, watching the Doctor carefully.

"Doctor . . . does that mean you can regenerate?" I said silently. Adam didn't need to hear me and the Doctor only needed to read my lips.

He stared directly into my eyes, something he did when he wanted me to understand how serious he was being.

"Yes, but I can still die," he responded, and then continued, "River, have I told you about the TARDIS? Don't worry, I'm mouthing the words, no one can hear why I'm saying."

"A little bit. You were going to go into more detail, but you were stopped," I said. Adam was saying something now, but I tuned him out.

"The TARDIS, is my ship, my spaceship, the thing I use to travel through space and time. I know it's hard to believe, but for a moment, I need you to trust me. Something's happened, I don't know what, but the TARDIS has started to translate everything I say to everyone and not just you. I'm worried they tampered with it and if they did, I'm not so much worried about the TARDIS as I am about the technology they're getting their hands on.

"River, the TARDIS is alive and far more advanced than anything on Earth. If the process is sped up in any way by the technology, then the change will be catastrophic," the Doctor explained.

"Is that so? Why is the TARDIS here? Why did you let them have it?" I asked.

"You act as if I wanted this!" the Doctor yelled on the other side of the glass. I didn't think he just mouthed those words. "They probably broke into the TARDIS, or did something to it that's causing this! I can't do much from behind this glass wall and it's frustrating, but do you want to know something, River? You can do something! You could very well save the whole of humanity by making sure the TARDIS is untouched. You don't even have to set me free, just make sure the TARDIS is safe," he said, but he wasn't begging. He was informing me of what I could do, what I could be. It surprised me.

"How can I do it," I asked after a moment's hesitation.

"That'll be something you'll have to figure out on your own, but I have a few things that can help. My Sonic Screwdriver is held in a box within the right wing. It's in some office, but its Sunday, no one should be there. It can get through most any lock and has a thousand other brilliant uses, but it's also something that should give you the upper hand. I'm putting a lot of trust in you by letting you use it. Can you do it, River," he asked. I was more wary this time, a little more worried now about sneaking around even more than what I'd already done. He sensed that.

"River, listen to me. If you can save the TARDIS, when I . . . escape someday, I'll take you with me. We'll see the stars together, different planets and times, lay in some tall, fluorescent blue grass. What do you say to that, River?" he asked.

"I'd love to," I said softly. He smiled.

"Get at it, then. See you again, River," he replied before stepping back from the glass. I caught his eye and couldn't resist a final question.

"How did you know it was Sunday?"

"I keep perfect time," the Doctor replied, smirking, "Now shoo." I waved to him before getting Adam's attention.

"We've got another task. We need to get in a room on the other side, find something called a Sonic Screwdriver," I explained.

"That stupid little tube that glowed? I know what that looks like," Adam said as we started back down the hallway. I took one last glimpse at the Doctor before I went forth, beginning to run. The Doctor needed not only his TARDIS safe, but his freedom. Because somehow I knew that once he'd be set free, the world would be a little more right.

Before I knew it we were past the entrance and charging down the other hallway. As soon as doors popped up, Adam and I took opposite sides and began rifling through desks and file cabinets. I knew we were making a mess, but I also knew we would be caught. There was no question about that.

Finally we came upon a door with a keypad. Adam broke into it, but it took him longer this time.

"That was harder. Must be something worth quite a bit in this room," he said when the door opened. Together we went in the darkened space. My fingers searched for a light switch; when they found one, glass containers like that in my grandfather's collection were illuminated. These were the items too rare for normal display.

And that's when I saw it.

A blue telephone box. It struck me as the oddest thing I'd ever seen to be put in the Collection, but it didn't have nearly the effect Adam's next words did.

"The TARDIS is here. Same old blue box back then too," he whispered, walking over to it. I stood in awe, hesitating before allowing myself to come closer to it. He traveled around in just this, a blue box, often with other people. My curiosity spiked. I wanted to know how it worked. I wanted to travel with the Doctor so I could see, experience just how this little blue box did the most amazing things.

At a closer view I could see that all was not well. Despite being in a glass box, wires ran about the base, originating from within the TARDIS and leading to some other, unseen end.

"That's got to be what's wrong," I whispered, pointing to the wires.

"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised. And I think I found the Screwdriver, but it looks a bit different from what I remember . . ." Adam trailed off tapping another glass box. Inside was a long metal tube with a square head and one large button.

"I guess this is it. But how are we going get it out without tripping the system? And what about the TARDIS," I asked. Adam thought for a moment before walking back over to the TARDIS.

"It's best I work on this, because it may take me some time. I might even damage it or something so they can't access it again and knowing the Doctor, it won't be much for him to fix it back up. I can get this done without tripping the sensors, I hope, but I can't guarantee I'll have it done in time for us to escape without any notice. We've already meddled so much that we have to have left a trace somewhere," Adam explained, examining the glass as he talked.

"I got you. I'll look around for something to break the glass, so at the very least we can snatch the Screwdriver if something happens," I replied. Adam nodded, and then went to work hurrying about much more than he had when we'd originally broken in. I set to my task, heading out of the door and searching for something I could use. After a while I came upon a break room, the only thing that wasn't some computer office. It was dark inside, a bit creepy, but the lights blared as they illuminated the room when I entered. I dug through drawers, till I came upon cooking utensils. Inside I found something I knew would work; an ice pick.

I ran back to the room, finding Adam knee deep in wires after somehow managing to make the glass open like a door for him. I was curious as to how, but I knew better than to interrupt him now. A sense of urgency had feel upon us because our actions had finally caught up with us and our fears had our adrenaline pumping. After a few minutes of work, Adam got up.

"Can I have that," he asked. I handed over the ice pick and gasped in shock as he slammed in into the now exposed part of the TARDIS, thoroughly destroying where the links had been once placed.

"He'll be able to fix that? Adam, that was a little too far," I protested as he finished.

"He will, I promise," he said, handing the now broken ice pick to me. "Let's work on that screwdriver and don't worry about the TARDIS, its going look tampered with no matter what I do."

We went over to the glass, but before we started, I looked at him, unsure.

"What happens if we're caught? How can we make sure it doesn't get taken from us," I asked.

"Because you won't get your hands on it in the first place," said a cold voice from across the room. I turned sharply in shock, my eyes wide at the face they beheld. It was Grandfather, his arms crossed over his chest, and his face very cross.

We were caught.

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_Compliments are enjoyed. Reviews are rewarded. Concrit is appreciated. Flames are exterminated._

_**AN**__: Hello darlings. Lyric here. I would like to personally apologize to all of you for the time it took for this chapter to get out. It was painful for you all, I know. I assure you, it hurt us too. Ama and I are in the middle of heading off to college, so it'll be tough to get the chappies out on time. But then again, Ama is telling me as we speak that she had finished writing out the rest of the chapters, so perhaps it won't be as difficult as I initially assume. Anyway, we love you all, we are by no means abandoning this story, and we actually have the sequel and another story in the works. Tootles!_


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